› added 2 years ago

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TIL about William James Sidis: The Smartest Guy Ever?

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OoGae TIL that pharmaceutical company Aventis stopped production of a cure for sleeping sickness, a lifesaving drug for millions of Africans, between 1995-2001 because it wasn’t making enough profit. Instead the product was marketed in the West as women’s facial hair removal cream.
XEjXX TIL the term 'patient 0' is based on a misunderstanding. One of the earliest recorded HIV patients was named 'patient O', standing for 'patient OUT of California'. Readers and journalists then misinterpreted this letter as the numeral 0, leading to its wide usage today.
KJoJ TIL the first goalie mask worn in a NHL game wasn’t until a goalie took a puck to the face, got stitched up, and refused to return to the game unless he could wear a mask.
9dMD TIL Penelope Spheeris, the director of The Decline of Western Civilization and Wayne’s World, was given the opportunity to direct This is Spinal Tap, but turned it down, thinking it wasn’t possible to make fun of heavy metal.
6EOj8 TIL In 1986, Optimus Prime was actually killed off in the Transformers movie, in order to make way for new and more expensive toys. He was eventually resurrected due to Hasbro underestimating the backlash over his death.